Education, creativity rate in top paid apps for six to eights

iKids Weekly takes a look at the top apps for kids ages six to eight across the US, Canada, UK, Spain, Russia and Germany. Education- and creativity-based apps get top marks, according to analytics database App Annie.

Every week seems to bring news of another kids tablet joining the mobile device market, the latest being the new Fuhu Nabi Big Tab and Sprout’s new Channel Cubby. Kids are using tablets much more often – among kids ages two to 12 in the US, tablet use has increased from 38% in 2013 to 48% in 2014, according to a study from The NPD Group.

With the current media spotlight on kids tablets, iKids Weekly looks at some of the top apps in the tablet space.

Below are the top five paid iPad apps for kids ages six to eight across the US, Canada and five other countries, according to the analytics database App Annie. Drilling into the data, it would appear that this age demo is the one where educational or learning-based apps are truly flourishing. The six to eights consume more educational media than older kids, who are focused on more traditional gaming or open-play games. And while educational apps are also popular with the preschooler set, the six to eight demo is where content gets an educational overhaul.

Educational apps like Tinybop’s The Human Body and ABCya.com’s Math Bingo are featured in many countries. Other apps listed focus on learning new skills, like telling time, counting or other early math skills. In addition, apps focused on bringing out kids creativity, such as the Toca Boca line of apps, as well as Mister Maker, inspired by the CBBC show, feature prominently.

According to a 2014 Cooney Center study, kids in the US ages five to seven are spending 50 minutes a day on educational media. This is slightly more than kids ages eight to 10, who spend 42 minutes on average with educational content. As for actual learning, 39% of parents say their child learned “a lot” about a subject from mobile. This number has far to go before it tops its TV counterpart, which stands at 52%. That’s not to say that most kids aren’t learning from the apps. The study also found that kids’ learning experience goes beyond the screen. About 87% of kids talked about, asked questions about (77%) or wanted to do a project (61%) on something they learned from educational media.